Page:Cyclopaedia, Chambers - Supplement, Volume 2.djvu/768

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ing in a good foil and afpect, and at the diftance of two foot Blunder, that they had fixty, fixty-four, and fixty-feyen {talks, from their fingle grain and root. Each of thefe ftalks had an ear, and, one with another, there were about forty corns in each ear. New fhoots were continually ifTuing from the roots i and as the Eaft Indian trees afford leaves, bloflbms, and ripe fruit at the fame time, fo if the fun's heat had continued, there would have been young fhoots, young ears, and ripe cars on the fame plant, at the fame time, all the year round. It feems very plain, from the whole of thefe experiments, that the multiplying of Wheat and other grain is rather to be expected from the fowing it on a good foil, and at a proper diftance, than from any of thefe liquors contrived to fleep the feed-grain in. As moft of the liquors contrived for this purpofe are, however, harmlefs, it will be worth the farmers while to try them at times, and in a regular manner, fowing the dif- ferent parts of the fame field with fteeped and unfteeped grain, in the fame proportion.

The experiment of the fteeping the grain in the offals of animal fub fiances, carries with it evident fuccefs ; but we are to re- member, that only a third part of the quantity of feed is to be ufed to the fame quantity of ground in that method, as is in the common way ; and it is more than poffible that the increafe which attends this method, may be owing to this diftance of the plants, rather than to the good done by the water. Phi lof. Tranf. N D. 281. p. 1212.

It is evident from experience, that the multiplication of Wheats that is, the quantity of /^rar produced from every grain, isvery different in different places, and according to various accidents, It has been often attempted to arrive at the art of caufing every grain of Wheat to yield its utmoft poflible increafe ; and if this could be brought about on eafy terms in the large way fo as to affect whole fields, it is evident that the advantage would be very confiderable. This has been attempted by Vallemont in feveral different ways, but with moft fuccefs in thefe following : Let there be collected together as large a quantity as may be of the bones, fkins, feathers, and other parts of animals, which are thrown away as refufe, together with the refufe of foods and wearing apparel, fuch as old fhoes, gloves, or whatever elfe of this kind comes in the way, though horns and hoofs of all animals are excellent ; and, in (hort, let every thing be collected that abounds with falts : when a large parcel of thefe things is got together, let them be feparated into two or three heaps, according to their different natures ; the hardeft kinds into one heap, the fofteft into another, and fo on. Let each of thefe parcels be put into a large wooden veflel, and a fufficient quantity of rain or river-water be poured on them, that they may fwim at liberty in it. When the water has ftood fo long, that it (links very much ; {train it off, and keep it in veffels for ufe. The fofteft bodies will give the water this ftink in five days ; the moderately hard ones in feyen days ; and the hardeft of all in nine days. Thefe laft are to be broken to pieces before they ate put into the water. The liquor prepared from thefe is called the prepared water.

Let a quantity of plants of any kind, no matter what, be burnt with their flowers and feeds, and let a lixivial fait be made from the afhes in the common way. Then take as many pounds of falt-petre as there are acres of land to be em- ployed, and let each pound be di Solved in twelve quarts of water, and to this folution add a fmall quantity of the lixivial fait of the plant. This liquor the author calls the umverfal matter of vegetation. When both the liquors are thus made, mix together an equal quantity of each of them ; that is, of the prepared water, and of the univerfal matter ; and let the whole quantity be fo much as will ferve thoroughly to wet and foak the quantity of corn that is to be fown ; this is to be fo much, that it Hands two fingers breadth above the -grain. When the grain and the liquor are thus mixed~ the light grains, which will not grow, will fwim at the top, and may be flam- med off and feparated from the reft. The grain at the bottom of the veffel is to be ftirred up and turned every two hours : in this manner, the grain is to be foaked twelve hours, and af- ter this the water is to be poured off, and the grain dried, by laying on a Jieve, or thin fpread on the floor ; and after two or three hours it is to be fown in the common way. The quantity of feed neceffary for an acre of ground, when thus fteeped, is only one third of the quantity commonly ufed, and this will produce infinitely more grain, and is as much as the land can bear. The liquor poured off from the foaking of this-quantity of grain, is not to be thrown away, but muft be fayed, for it will ferve as well for feveral more parcels as it did for this.

This was tried in the year 1 706, which was the year after the book came out, in feveral parts of France, and that with fo much fuccefs, that the author got great reputation, and his book was tranflated into the German, and fome other lan- guages. Whether the method was found afterwards not to fucceed fo well, or whether it was dropped through mere in- advertence, the thing has not been regarded fince that time ; but the procefs is at once fo cheap and fo eafy, that it fhould feem extremely worth while to bring it into trial again. Valle- mont, Curiof. de Vegetat.

There are four ways of augmenting the crops of Wheat, not 7

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in the number of the plants, but in the ftalks, ears, and grains.

The firft is by increafing the number of ftalks from one, two, or three, to thirty or forty in each plant, in ordinary field land ; and the crop is augmented by bringing up all thefe ftalks into car, which is the fecond way ; for if it be diligently ob- ferved, it will be found that not one half of the ftalks of If 'heat fown in the common way, ever come to ear at all : Nay, if a fquare yard of fown Wheat be marked out, and the {talks thereon numbered in the fpring, it will be found that no lefs than nine parts in ten of them are wanting at the harveft- time.

An experiment of the advantage of this augmentation was made by Mr. Tull in rows of Wheat that were equally poor ; one of thefe rows was increafed fo much, as to produce more grains than ten of the other, by bringing up more of its ftalks into ears, and alfo by augmenting the ears to a much greater bignefs, which is the third way ; for it is very certain that the ears will be much larger or much fmaller, according to the quantity of nourifhment that is given them. The fourth and laft way of increafing the crops of Wheat y is by caufing the grain to be much larger in the ears. This can no way be done fo effectually as by late hoeing, efpecially if it be done juft after the Wheat is gone out of the bloflom ; by this means the grains will weigh twice as much as thofe pro- duced in the fame fort of Wheat > when this late hoeing has been omitted j their number, at the fame time, is the fame in the ear j and as the Wheat is fold not by tale, but by mea- fure, the farmers gain is double in this cafe, the Wheat mea- furing juft twice as much as it would other wife have done. Thus by increafing the number of the ftalks, bringing more of them up into the ear, making the ears larger, and the grains larger, plumper, and fuller in every ear ; the method of horfe-hoeing, by which alone this can be effected, makes a larger crop out of the tenth part of the number of plants, than in the common way : but all thefe advantages will be loft by thofe who, though they give into the horfe- hoeing way, yet will not allow the fix foot intervals between the rows ; for it is owing to this great fpace of ground alone, that as much nourifhment may be given to the Wheat as the farmer pleafes.

In the method by thefe wide intervals, we can raife a larger crop of Wheat with lefs labour, lefs feed, no dung, and no fallowing ; but not without a competent quantity of earth, which is the cheapeft thing given to corn. The earth of a whole good acre being but about the tenth part of the expence, and of indifferent land but about a twentieth. The crop enjoys all the earth, for between the laft hoeing and the harvefl, there remains nothing but a fpace of empty mould in the middle of the intervals. Farmers do not grudge the price of three or four pounds in the buying and carriage of dung for an acre ; but they think themfelves undone if they afford an extraordinary eighteen-pennyworth of earth to the wide intervals of an acre, not confidering that earth is at once the beft and the cheapeft entertainment that can be given to plants ; for at five and fixpence rent, which is common to fome land in many parts of the kingdom, the whole earth belonging to each of the rows cofts only fixpence ; that is, a penny for a foot broad and fix hundred and fixty foot long^ that being the fixty-fixth part of an acre. But the vulgar count this expence of a foot breadth of ground not as they ought, only as part of the rent, but as an eleventh part of their own ufua! charges added to the rent. If the intervals are narrower in deep land, there might be earth enough in them; but there would not be room enough to pulverize it.

The horfe-hoe, well applied, fupplies the ufe of dung and fallow ; but it cannot fupply the ufe of the earth, though it can infinitely increafe the virtue of it, where there is any rea- fonable quantity.

The mean price of Wheat, between dear and cheap, is reck- oned five fhillings a bufliel ; and therefore an acre of land that fhould produce every year eight bufhels, without any expence, would be accounted a very profitable one. Now an acre of land drilled with Wheat, and horfe-hoed, will produce fixteen bufhels of Wheat eafily, with the expence only of ten or fif* teen {hillings, and this is a third part more profitable. It is commonly computed that the farmer cannot live, if the Wheat he fold under five {hillings a bufliel ; he muft therefore keep his Wheat when it is fold cheaper than that in the mar- kets j and the common method is to keep it in the flraw, taking care to keep away the mice. The fecureft method of all is to dry the Wheat in the grain ; but this many are afraid to practife.

Some people, who have known this fecret, have made great profit by buying up the Wheat, when under three fhillings a bufliel in the markets, and then preferving it in this manner till a dearer time. The method is to dry it in a malt-kiln, but with no other fuel than /if/jiwr-ftraw, never fuffer- ing it to have any ftronger heat than that of the fun. The longeft time the Wheat need lie in this heat, is twelve hours ; but fometimes four hours is fufficient ; according to its damp- nefs when bought, and the time it is intended to be kept, it requires a longer or fliorter drying. The only thing that onufes

the